These homemade cocktail meatballs are juicy, flavorful, and glazed with a tangy cranberry jelly sauce. Perfect for holidays, parties, or anytime you want a crowd-pleasing finger food.
Jump to: ℹ️ Overview | 🛒 Ingredients | 📷 How To Make | 📹 Watch The Video | 👩🍳 Recipe Tips | 🍽 Serving Suggestions | 📝 Full Recipe Card | 🫒 More Appetizers To Try
These homemade cocktail meatballs are juicy, oven-baked, and coated in a tangy cranberry jelly glaze that’s just the right mix of sweet and savoury. I’ve been making these every holiday season for years—think Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve—and they always disappear fast.
The meatball mix is a 50/50 blend of ground pork and beef (hello flavor and juiciness), and the glaze is made with classic pantry staples like ketchup, Worcestershire, and jellied cranberry sauce. Whether you’re hosting a party or looking for an easy freezer-friendly make-ahead dish, this one’s got you covered.
Nutrition tip: As a certified nutrition coach, I love that this recipe is easy to adapt—use lean meat for a lighter version or gluten-free Panko to make it coeliac-friendly.
👩🍳 If you love meatballs, make sure to check out my chicken meatballs with honey soy glaze, baked turkey zucchini meatballs, easy curry meatballs, and baked chicken meatballs in spiced tomato sauce. Another flavorful and healthy chicken appetizer you can make is my air fryer BBQ chicken wings or check out these New Year’s Eve appetizers ideas.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need for this cocktail meatballs recipe. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef and ground pork – I love a combination of both for a juicy, flavorful base. Substitute with chicken or turkey if preferred. I used 10% fat ground mince for both, which is on the leaner side.
- Eggs and milk keep everything moist and bind the meatballs together.
- Panko breadcrumbs for a light, fluffy texture; swap with gluten-free crumbs if needed.
- Onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper – these add depth and warmth to the flavor. You can also add dried herbs.
- For the cranberry jelly sauce/glaze: Jellied cranberry sauce – old-school sauce from the supermarket – the star of the glaze, adds tangy sweetness. Feel free to use grape jelly. Ketchup, soy sauce, and Worcestershire – bring balance and umami. Sriracha and brown sugar add a touch of heat and sweetness. Cornstarch – helps thicken the sauce to a perfect glaze.
How To Make Cocktail Meatballs
Find the full recipe and nutritional information below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos for how to make cocktail meatballs with the cranberry jelly sauce.
Make the Meatballs
- Mix eggs and milk in a bowl, then add meat, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. Combine thoroughly.
- Roll into 1 oz (30 g) balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 20 minutes.
Make the Cranberry Jelly Sauce (Glaze)
- Combine glaze ingredients in a skillet off the heat, then bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat until glossy and thickened.
Combine
- Toss baked meatballs in the cranberry glaze until evenly coated. Serve hot or slightly reheated.
Using Frozen Meatballs
- Heat frozen meatballs as per package instructions, then toss them in the prepared cranberry glaze.
Watch The Video
Recipe Tips
- Reduce or skip the Sriracha for a milder sauce (e.g. if serving to kids), however the glaze isn’t too spicy, just a little kick.
- Try ground turkey or chicken for a leaner option or if you don’t like beef or pork. You can skip the pork and just make beef meatballs, I recommend using slightly fatter mince in that case.
- How to tell meatballs are done: They should be browned, slightly firm to the touch, and register at least 160°F (71°C) on a meat thermometer. Juices should run clear.
- Cranberry glaze troubleshooting: If it thickens too much while sitting, add 1-2 teaspoons of water and reheat gently. The sauce should be glossy and coat the back of a spoon.
- Make-ahead pro tip: Shape and freeze raw meatballs on a tray. Once frozen, store in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, just add 5 extra minutes.
- Freezing cooked meatballs: You can also freeze fully cooked and glazed meatballs. Cool completely, freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a container. Reheat covered in the oven or gently on the stove.
Serving Suggestions
These cocktail meatballs can be served with:
- Toothpicks for an easy party appetizer.
- Mashed potatoes for a cozy main dish.
- A platter of veggie sticks and dips for a balanced spread of summer appetizers.
As appetizers, plan for 2-3 meatballs per person. For a main dish, 5 meatballs per serving is ideal.
Leftover meatballs are great in wraps, sandwiches or you can dice them up and use in quesadillas, tacos, burritos, fried rice or casseroles.
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Cocktail Meatballs With Cranberry Jelly Sauce
Equipment
- flat baking sheet plus parchment paper
Video
Ingredients
For meatballs
- 2 eggs large
- ¼ cup milk regular or dairy-free
- 1 lb ground pork mince 450 grams, lean (I used 10% fat)
- 1 lb ground beef mince 450 grams, lean (I used 10% fat)
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs about 50 grams or gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 1 + ¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika sweet
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For cranberry jelly glaze
- ½ cup jellied cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup aka tomato sauce in OZ
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce light
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce original, or hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands, ensuring everything is fully combined.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with olive oil.
- Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a meatball, roughly 1 oz (30 grams). For efficiency, portion all the meat first onto a plate or board, then roll them into balls and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes on the middle shelf—no need to turn them.
- While the meatballs bake, prepare the glaze. Combine all ingredients in a deep skillet off the heat and mix thoroughly. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring until the glaze thickens and turns glossy. Remove from the heat.
- When the meatballs are done, toss them in the skillet with the glaze until evenly coated.
- Serve hot or cold, but they’re best slightly reheated. Provide cocktail skewers, or arrange them on a platter with skewers already inserted.
- PS: These meatballs and the sauce are incredible with mashed potatoes. Leftovers are fantastic chopped into quesadillas!
Notes
- Storage tips: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a skillet or oven.
- Make ahead tips: Shape and freeze raw on a tray, then transfer to a bag. Bake from frozen, adding 5 minutes to the cook time. Prepare the sauce ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before tossing with meatballs.
- Can I use frozen meatballs? Absolutely! Just prepare the glaze and toss it with pre-cooked frozen meatballs.
- How spicy is the glaze? It’s mildly spicy. Reduce or omit the Sriracha for a kid-friendly version.
- How many meatballs in a pound? This recipe makes approximately 40 meatballs from 2 pounds of meat, so about 20 meatballs per pound.
Just made these for a birthday party and they were a hit!!! Kids and adults both ate them up.
Thanks 🙂
Made these for a party last Friday but used grape jelly. OMG, they got so many compliments. Very tender and the glaze is finger-leaking good!
Thanks, Katherine!